by Dan Decker
Kyson fell to the floor with a thud and moaned. It was followed by a raspy gasp of breath and a soft growl. She could just make out his face in the light of the lantern and had to suppress an urge to go to him. She wouldn’t do him any good if she got herself killed in the process of helping. She couldn’t see where he’d been hit in the chest, but if he was to have any chance at all, she would need to get him help immediately.
A shuffling sound from several rows back caught her attention; it was coming from the spot where she’d seen the hooded person. She crawled down the row of bookshelves to the other side where there was a small aisle between the shelves and the wall. The nearest window was several rows away and gave her a little light with which to see. Grateful that the bookshelf hadn’t connected up with the wall, she scrambled down the aisle to where she’d seen the hooded person and peeked around the corner. The person was still there, peering in the direction of the table.
Nelion was considering her options when the figure turned and walked towards her. By the outline of his shape and the broad shoulders, she could tell it was a man. He had a sword that he held out in front. Glad that she’d kept a low profile, she retreated and crawled into the next row.
She hadn’t seen a bow or a quiver of arrows on the man coming her way, so there was at least one other assailant.
She heard the man stop and imagined him looking down the aisle in the direction she’d just come from. A few moments later he passed by heading that way. She swallowed when she realized how close she’d come to getting caught.
If she hadn’t moved when she had, he would have got her. She gripped the hilt of her dagger and realized that her hand was sweaty. She placed the dagger on the floor without making a sound and wiped her hand on her dress before picking it up again. What she would have given to have a sword with her right now. She hadn’t been as good with that as she had a bow and arrow, but she could hold her own well enough. Her cheeks flushed when she thought about how she’d judged her mother for carrying her sword with her even though she was now retired.
Summoning her courage, she moved forward until she could peek out into the aisle. The man stood in front of the row she’d ducked into right after Kyson had been hit. He started to turn his head back towards her, so she slid behind the bookshelf. What would he do next? Would he meet up with his counterpart and leave or would they try to find her?
Did they know that Semal was here too?
She had to assume they knew about Semal and would go for him next if something hadn’t happened to him already. There hadn’t been any indication what Semal had done when Kyson had screamed, but she remembered how they’d been on top of him with a lantern and he still hadn’t noticed their approach. It was likely that he was still doing his research, oblivious to what was going on. She hoped the old man had gone for cover, but wouldn’t have bet on it.
There was the sound of swishing fabric as the man moved back down the aisle towards her, his pant legs rubbing against each other. She lay prone against the side of the bookshelf and prayed that he wouldn’t notice her as he passed. When he continued by without even a glance in her direction, her breath caught in her chest. He did know about Semal and was headed towards him now.
Kyson moaned, the sound of it twisted her insides with terror and she took several steps back towards him before stopping. Moving out into the open now would be a mistake. The archer was still out there, waiting for her to show up. Going to Kyson would be as good as committing suicide.
Bloody Melyah! she thought, even though she knew it was the right decision, that didn’t keep her from feeling horrible. She wasn’t about to abandon Semal when there was a chance that she still might be able to save him.
Nelion noticed that her hands were sweaty again and wiped them on her dress before moving out into the aisle and following after the man. Afraid that Semal would be caught unaware, she increased her speed. She was less than ten feet away when her quarry turned into Semal’s row.
Cursing under her breath, she refrained from breaking into a full run because she wanted to keep her presence hid until the last possible moment. He couldn’t know she was coming or that would be the end.
Taking a deep breath, she locked her eyes on the bookshelf where he’d turned in. She was almost there.
When she got to the row the man was blocking the chair where Semal had been sitting.
She brought up her dagger and covered the last few steps in a blur of motion. When she stabbed the man in the back, he screamed out. By that time she had already grabbed his neck and wrenched her dagger free before using her weight to pull the man to the ground by stepping backward.
She went down on top of him, the full force of her fall positioning her dagger so that it tore into his chest. He grabbed for her blouse and she heard it rip. She twisted the dagger out and stabbed him, again eliciting a scream that froze her blood. The other intruder would come to see what had happened, she hadn’t thought of a plan to handle him. She needed to disappear into the shadows.
It was strange how things worked out. In all her time in Korew army, she’d never harmed a person. Now as a scribe, she was taking a life. She pulled her dagger out and was about to stand when somebody put a hand over her mouth.
She twisted and the dagger was halfway towards Semal before she recognized him.
“Melyah!” she hissed, stopping the dagger short. “Are you trying to get killed?”
Semal’s eyes took in the dagger. “Apparently so. By the gods, I’m out of practice. Come on, we have to get out of here.”
“Kyson is still alive.”
“We don’t know how many there are—” He was interrupted by shouting and footsteps spilling into the hall.
“Semal!” somebody called out. “Where are you? You know you’re not supposed to be in here.” There was a rush of feet that sounded like men spreading out.
“Bloody marching Melyah,” Semal said. “As if we don’t already have enough problems.”
“You didn’t get permission?” Nelion asked, remembering how she’d asked the guards at the Inner Wall gate for directions earlier. That was what had tipped them off. She would have felt foolish for the error except for her mistake had saved their lives. Far better to be charged with trespassing than to get murdered.
Semal rolled his eyes. “We would have been turned away if I’d asked.”
“How’d you get a key?”
“That’s hardly the thing you should be worrying about just now.”
Nelion resisted the urge to hit him. How much trouble were they going to be in for sneaking into the archives? She searched her memory for what the punishment would be and could only come up with the five lashes caught for trespassing on a Radim army base.
“What have you gotten me into?” Stifling a yelp, she remembered that Kyson was bleeding to death on the floor while she was trying to figure out how much trouble she was in. “Kyson was shot—”
“Captain!” another voice cried, “I have a wounded man here.” A pause. “Strike that. He’s dead.”
When Nelion heard the words, she froze and found that she couldn’t breathe. She should’ve gone back to Kyson, instead of running away. Perhaps if she’d removed the arrow and stopped the flow of blood he would have survived.
She shook her head, her inexperienced hands would have killed him all the faster. She had done the right thing by hiding.
“By the gods!” Semal said, breaking into her thoughts. He bent forward and pushed back the cowl of the man she had killed. He was wearing a black mask with a row of small horns across the top. “This couldn’t get more complicated.” He took Nelion by the arm. “You have to go find General Adar Rahid. Bring him back. He must see this.”
What does Adar Rahid have to do with all this? Nelion thought, trying to get a hold of her emotions. She had never met him but from what she’d heard, the man was arrogant, brash, and rude. Some of the stories she’d heard made her glad that Adar would be hard pressed
to pass his trials to become Ghar. She hoped he wouldn’t even pass the trials to become Rahar. She didn’t want a man like that at the head of their government.
Kyson had liked Adar well enough and had said that her impression of him was wrong. “He’s not like they say,” Kyson had said. “He’s direct, sure, and determined, but you’d have a hard time believing rumors if you met him in person.”
According to Kyson, Adar visited Semal quite often but she hadn’t seen that happen. During the last several months since Nelion had taken this job, she’d never seen the two of them together.
Semal shook her. “You listening? Slip out past the guards, I’ll draw their attention.” He stepped out of the bookshelves and shouted. “I’m over here!” He looked back at Nelion and whispered. “Go, now!”
BLOOD OF THE REDD GUARD
The complete novel will be published November 17, 2015. Click here to learn where you can purchase it. Also, the links to all the parts are below if you want to read them as they are published instead of waiting for the entire novel. Follow Dan Decker's blog to be notified of the next release.
Blood of the Redd Guard - Part One
Blood of the Redd Guard - Part Two
Blood of the Redd Guard - Part Three
Blood of the Redd Guard - Part Four
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Books by Dan Decker
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Blood of the Redd Guard (Complete Novel)
Blood of the Redd Guard - Part One
Blood of the Redd Guard - Part Two
Blood of the Redd Guard - Part Three
Blood of the Redd Guard - Part Four
War of the Fathers (Complete Novel)
War of the Fathers - Part One
War of the Fathers - Part Two
War of the Fathers - Part Three
Thrillers
Black Brick (Complete Novel)
Black Brick - Part One
Black Brick - Part Two
Black Brick - Part Three
Black Brick - Part Four
Author’s Note
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About the Author
Dan Decker lives in Utah with his family. He has a law degree and spends as much time as he can outdoors. You can learn more about upcoming novels at dandeckerbooks.com.